Just so everybody is aware… This is not exactly Metal Gear Solid, but not exactly Lyrical Nanoha as well. The history of this world is not exactly that of Earth, certain events, times of history… All partially modified for this strange bit of crackfiction.

I will hold off all questions until the end of the fanfic. But if something is really, REALLY bugging you… You can always PM me.

And thank you to the first two people to make a review. Thank you very much.

Time (Local): 0600 Hours – August 24, 1964

The lush jungles of Tselinoyarsk teamed with life as birds, bugs and other creatures hummed in their own tunes. Some in harmony, other's in scales and a few off-key. But the humming started to fade in a local area against the light steps of a certain purple-haired special agent. Her face already coated with sweat from the jungle, she hurried towards her objective, cracking her fingers just in case of anything bad happening.

By the time she found a path clearing to the abandoned facility, Quint had noticed splashed colors of the jungle moving about. It was not the same as her surroundings that she quickly became familiar off. These beings were human sized with black hoods over their heads to conceal their faces. She quickly hid behind a tree before opening her radio channel again.

A quick sidestep away from her tree cover and she withdrew a pair of binoculars. "Major, I have just spotted two enemy soldiers."

After a moments of silence, the Major's voice came back with a reply. "It is probably KGB troops stationed to guard Flor." It was not like Quint had not expected to have any type of trouble. In fact, she had already thought of the possibilities of having to face several Shutran troops before. Focusing on their weapons, she was able to spot out at least two grenades latched on to the back of their belts while their hands had slung down with a long weapon. The first troop had a rifle, nothing exactly too fancy with current technology. The usual bend in the cartridge and dull orange color at the stock were the classic signs of the Shutran AK-47.

But the other troop had a long stave of kinds. A cartridge easily spotted out nearing the end of the stave with a small dulled coloring at end. Shaped like a tilted 'C', it was the Shutran MY-33, a magic staff used much like any other weapon.

"Ah, now would be good time as ever to explain a few things with your uniform. As you would remember, your uniform is the standard default for our RF6 section being jungle green. However, we had included some extra goodies in your backpack. If you would take them out now."

Doing as she was told, Quint made sure that the guards weren't coming in her direction before slinging her backpack over. From its contents there wasn't much. A few collapsed cages for possible captured animals, extra tins for keeping food fresh. But in the corner were strange hand sized pieces of cloth. Pulling one out, it was shades both light and dark of green. It was stiff, but malleable.

"As you recall from history World War II, both sides were managed to manipulate mana to create the common military uniforms that we wear today. No longer needing to dress up to be combat ready a few minutes ahead in blitzkriegs. This is what we know today as a 'Barrier Jacket'. Now, we can change the shape and color of our Barrier Jackets, making a 'camouflage' suited for our sneaking operations."

The Boss's voice soon followed up. "He's right Snake. The point of your mission is to sneak by completely undetected. By memorizing these patterns, you can change your camouflage on the fly to make sure that nobody can spot you. I've already taught you mana manipulation, so try it yourself."

Getting a little fidgety with a new gadget, Quint stared long and hard into the pattern as her Barrier Jacket's color started to morph. The solid green texture was now left for a more leafy green color and pattern. "Cool…" she giggled before looking at the other patterns. But there was something that caught her eye, a mask of kinds. Pulling it out, it was the face of a young woman, probably just a little younger than herself. Short brown hair, but not exactly a bowl cut either.

"Uuuhhh Major?"

"Yes? What is it Snake?"

"I found this mask in the backpack."

"Oh. Yes. That." His enthusiasm dropped with a hint of dryness. "Never was a fan of that thing."

"You don't like it?"

"Oh no no." He sighed. "It's just that me and that mask have a bit of history."

"If you don't it that much, why give it me?"

The Major sighed. It was probably going to be a story. "If you must ask, it was created for another mission. An infiltration mission that required the operative to disguise herself as a Soviet Officer in some obscure military base. Fortunately, or unfortunately for my case, the mission was scrapped and the mask was going to be thrown away, but the man who created it insisted to save it."

"Why's that?"

"Apparently to him, it was a 'too good of thing to be thrown away'."

"I don't see anything wrong with it."

"Well apparently the design is a revolutionary thing, allowing the wearer to blink."

Quint scratched her head, raising an eyebrow. "You know, I'd think that moving the lips would have been better than blinking eyes."

"I thought so too, but then again the man that made it is a bit… eccentric. Going on little rants of his."

"Sounds more like a loon to me."

"Yes but he does good work, something that we can't overlook. Alright, stop faffing about Snake, and get back to the mission."

Giving the mask one last good look, Quint had already memorized a few of the patterns. Now to make them work. She slung the backpack over her shoulders and started to head towards the open area. With her camouflage already in 'Leaf pattern' (Quint just named it) she dove into the closest tall grass as one of the guards started to make their way over. Just as the guard pasted her, she felt a familiar gurgling feeling in her stomach.

Damn it… I'm hungry already… She mentally groaned. The guard turned his head, having heard the gurgling sound. "Da fuck..?" he said in Shutran. As he made his way towards Quint, she quickly drew her pistol and fired it at the guards' neck. A hacked cough escaped his lips before he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Sweating heavily, Quint stood back up and wiped her brow. Too close. She pulled the guard into the brush before taking a look at him. It was the guard with the MY-33. She snatched a few of the extra grenades he had on his person before snooping around his backpack. Her mouth watered as she found small tin. A Shutran ration.

Immediately popping the top, Quint grabbed the crackers, ripping the plastic wraps and crunched down on it. Nearly a second later, she spat them out. "Th-this is… horrible!" She whispered to herself. "How could food betray me like this? How to do they eat this crap?" She looked down at the rest of the ration and fumed over just throwing the entire thing away.

Livid, Quint did the smart thing; she threw the contents back into pack before getting back to the mission at hand.

-.-.-

The sounds of rushing water echoed out from the ravine just below a long rope bridge. As Quint looked out from her cover of tall grass, she was still not over the terrible taste of the crackers on her tongue. Just before the bridge was another guard as he walked back and forth at a lazy pace.

Looking for options, she looked around. A hornet's nest hung just above his head.

This oughta make them pay for having terrible rations! She smiled and fired at the nest. The ball of regurgitated tree bark popped off the tree and fell to the ground as angry hornets flew out. The guard, having noticed the fallen nest slowly started to back away before the angry swarm of insects assaulted the closest target. Already trying to bat away the hornets, he ran across the rope bridge as other guards started to yell at the incoming swarm. Their screams of pain were only greeted with Quint's smiling face.

-.-.-

Only a few minutes later and Quint had arrived just outside the ruins of a former Soviet Research Center. Clicking on her radio, she kept her voice low. Guards were numerous as they patrolled about the forested area and ruins.

"Major, I reached the abandoned factory where Flor is being held. Place looks like it was blown to bits." She shifted around a bit of cover with binoculars in hand, scanning the distance. "Security's tight…"

"Be careful. Your mission is to bring Flor back alive. He must not be exposed to any kind of danger."

"Alright. Got it." Just before she closed the channel, the Major said one last thing. "But before I got… Just tell him… 'Sorry for being so late'."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Understood. Beginning my approach to the target." Quint crouched down and slowly started to crawl through the heavy brush of the jungle, staying still every once in a while to simulate an animal or the wind. A group of three guards on the perimeter started their usual routes as they split off: One to the far side of the exit, one to the closest side to the exit and the last one to the middle. The one closest to her started to make his way over to her spot as she knocked tree. A few sounds of the forest died as the guard noticed it too. Another knock as he approached the tree.

Quint stepped right out of the cover from her spot as she smacked away the rifle to the side. Disoriented from the sudden attack, she closed in, grafting his throat to prevent him from yelling before a gut punch and finishing off with a clothesliner. It all happened in a split second as the man groaned on the ground before she fired a round at his neck, rendering him unconscious. Making a check to see if it had alerted anybody, she saw no-one and dragged the body off to the side.

One down… Continuing on, Quint's Barrier Jacket shifted to a dark brown color with streaks of dark green and black. Taking cover behind a tree, she saw another guard making his rounds. Crouching down to hid herself, she slowly raised her pistol and fired at the closest one. Just like before, the guard hacked a cough before falling to the ground.

Shuffling over, Quint leaned her body against the rubble of the building, pistol at the ready. The other guard hadn't noticed that another one of his allies had been knocked out. As he turned to patrol the other way, she fired another shot knocking the last outside guard out.

The purple haired agent gave a sigh of relief. At least the outside was clear. Taking a quick peak over the rubble, she spotted another guard, seemingly unaware of what happened outside. With another potshot, the guard fell to the ground unconscious. A wide grin appeared on her face. Everything was going just as planned.

"Major, the guards have all been taken care of. Should I start my search for Flor?" Quint radioed in.

"Guessing from intel provided by the man… He should be in the northeast room of the ruins."

"Got it." With that, she hurried over to the northeast side.

-.-.-

"… This is Alina Alkaev reporting in. All things are clear here."

"… Anyone? This is Sergeant Alkaev… Is anybody there?"

-.-.-

As Quint slowly opened the door, a wave of heat radiated from the room. Pistol and free hand raised, she methodically stepped in, without alerting her presence. Next to a small black mini furnace was a man black suit. His hair slightly wavy and carried a grey-ish tint. A pile of papers were besides him as he gave a look to them before throwing a little of the pile into the flames.

I'm still hungry and that fire might be good to cook up some… No Quint, stay focused!

"So you must Flor?" She said. The man turned around, startled.

"Are you one of Harlaown's men?" He questioned in Shutran before frantically throwing the rest of the papers into the fire. "You'll never get it from me."

Raising an eyebrow and holding her weapon to the side, Quint switched over to Shutran to help ease his anxiety. "No. I'm an IIA agent. I've come to escort you to the other side of the Iron Curtain."

"You're IIA?"

"I was sent in by Major Graham who tried to get you out two years ago."

His eyes widen in surprise. "Graham…"

"I have a message from him. 'Sorry for being so late'."

A smile cracked on Flor's face as he sighed happily. "He's a man of his word." Shaking off the feeling, he briskly walked over to the window to check the outside. "But we have no time for this. We need to leave before they arrive."

"Who's they?"

"Colonel Harlaown of the GRU. You in the West know him as 'Frostbite' or 'Durandal'."

Quint may have a bad memory, but those names didn't ring any bells. "Never heard of him."

"He's a member of the army's extremist faction. Ever since the Juventud Missile Crisis two years ago, Zaporozhet has been seeking for peaceful co-existence with the West. Despite resistance and criticisms from the hardliner Soviet sects, he has been able to suppress the opposition thus far."

He started to pace about the room, as he continued. "But with his failing agricultural policies and the loss of his greatest ally only last November, he's in a precautious state."

"Wait, last November… President Edsel's assassination?"

"Exactly. With his power crumbling away, a certain group is plotting to overthrow him and replace him with Zavod and Ural in his place. The mastermind behind this plot is Colonel Harlaown of the GRU. He has control over another secret weapons research facility much like this one; the OKB-812 or the Acous Design Bureau."

"But that's not enough to satisfy him. He's planning to steal the weapon developed from my own Design Bureau and use it as an ace in the hole for power."

The man was scared as he started to fidget with his hands. "Intelligence says that they are planning to steal it during the test."

Quint's eyes widened. … Crap, I shouldn't have knocked them all out! "You mean, the guards outside were sent to protect you?"

"Precisely. Their orders were to keep Colonel Harlaown from capturing me."

Silent hung between the two before Flor nodded at Quint. "He will come. I am sure of it. You must get me out of here before he arrives!"

Giving a reassuring smile, she nodded. "Let it to me." As she turned to the exit, Flor started again, this time in a heavy Shutran accented Mid-Childan. "By the way, your Shutran is superb. Where did you learn to speak it?"

Another smile. "From my mentor."

"Haimiria truly is a frightening country." He shuttered.

"Having second thoughts?"

"I have no love for this place. Let us go."

Cracking her radio to life again, Quint talked while she cautiously opened the door. "Major, this is Snake. I have reached Flor. He's fine."

"Excellent work Snake. Head to the rendezvous. We'll recover the both of you there."

Heading out the door, Quint held her pistol and free hand up as she surveyed the area. Looking left and right, the entire ruined facility looked quiet and the guards haven't woken up yet. Making a quick check on Flor, she saw the man doing something… odd. Maybe an imitation of her Strike Arts stance? Chuckling at the silliness of how he looked, she continued to go forward.

Sound feels – "FREEZE!"

Quint turned to face the voice as she saw KGB troops swing out of cover, their AK and MY rifles pointed at her and Flor. The man huddled close, terrified. Checking from the corner of her eyes, she was completely surrounded. A deep frown appeared on her face before she heard a voice.

"So you're the legendary Boss, eh?"

Quint quickly turned around to see another person approaching. Her Barrier Jacket was dark blue, almost black with highlights of white across the trims. A matching combination of faulds and cuisses laid on her legs, but parted to allow for maximum mobility. A black plackart at her just below her chest and finally a pink ribbon holding her blonde hair to the side. A tiger pin stuck firmly on it.

In her hand was a twirling pistol around her index finger.

The guards turned and raised their rifles at the woman. "You… You're from the Ocelot Unit of Spetsez." Some of the guards backed up a little. "What's a GRU soldier doing here?"

She stopped twirling her pistol and held it up right as a bit of a disappointing pout was on her face. "Soldier?"

"She's the Ocelot Commander!"

She scoffed and turned, as Quint noticed red eyes. "That's Major Ocelot to you!"

She's a bit… flamboyant… She frowned as the woman turned back with her hands in a gesture.

The guard was obviously unimpressed. "Flor's our business. Now get lost."

"An ocelot never lets her prey escape…"

"Wh-wha?" Quint noticed a small glimmer in the GRU soldier's eye. Grabbing Flor as fast as she could, she flew the man at the ground. Just as she did, the woman ejected a round from her pistol before firing at the KGB soldier's neck. Blood sputtered out, as the rest of the soldier's were too shocked to realize what had happened.

The soldier's that had surrounded Quint and Flor were easily cut down, this 'Ocelot' woman firing her pistol at the collective necks of the troops. She only stopped when the immediate threat had all died. Her hair now unraveled where the strange ponytail was, she looked around seeing if she had missed one. A yelp was heard as she pointed the pistol at an angle and fired. Not only a few seconds later did Quint hear a body slam against the floor.

Ocelot sighed as she reached down and grabbed her hair decal, brushing the dirt from it. "Can't say that it feels good to kill a comrade…"

Quint turned to Flor and motioned him to move out of way. Yelping, he did. Her attention back on Ocelot, she saw the woman with another one of those strange poses. The two locked their eyes on one another as Ocelot leaned in. "You're… Not the Boss are you?" she finally said.

Keeping her silence, Quint just kept her aim steady on the woman. The strange major aloofly turned around as she 'meow-ed' into the air as black hooded mages with matching uniforms appeared from the shadows as Flor's face became horror.

"G-G-GRU operatives!"

Unfazed, the Haimirian stayed in her stance as Ocelot started to circle her. She chuckled raising a quizzical eyebrow. "That stance... That gun… What is this?" She started to laugh as she motioned for the rest of the troops to follow suit. Their slow chuckles and cackles filled the air as Flor started to sink further and further away.

"Phfff, if you're not The Boss…" She said, tossing her pistol in the air. "Then die!" She turned and manually cocked her pistol as the slide jammed on the bullet.

Quint grinned as she quickly grabbed the woman and forcing her into a locked elbow behind her back. With just a little amount of force, she leaned her foot behind the restrained Ocelot before throwing her body at the ground but keeping her arm. A quick snap at her wrists and the pistol was thrown to the side.

Flor screamed as he ran from the facility and into the forest, terrified of what might possibly happen next.

"Major!"

"Forget him! Get this one!"

Boots already holding the blonde on the ground, Quint reacted to the closest troop, as he aimed to butt-end her with his staff rifle. Easily swinging her body to the side, she tied the trooper with her free hand and fired her pistol at the second closest one as he fell to the ground.

Meat shield at the ready, she ran her guard into another troop and pushed off as the two collided and fell to the ground. Another one came as again, she nimbly sidestepped the rifle hit and grabbed a hold of his neck. The awkward stance and strain at his body, she switched over to another one who tried to close in. Mana swelling in her body, Quint roared as she threw her shield to the ground and punched at the air. A burst of magic energy erupted from her free fist and pierced through the mage's Barrier Jacket as he launched backwards and crashed into the ruined walls.

Back into the ready stance, she looked around. All about her were unconscious GRU soldiers as she heard a person scrambling. Immediately turning around, Ocelot had gotten up and threatened to pistol whip her. Just before she could, the purple haired mage used her opponent's half-dazed attack against her, shifting the momentum of the hit to an awkward angle before uppercutting her face with her pistol hand. Just another quick shove and Ocelot was back on the ground, her pistol finally ejecting the bullet from the forced slam.

"D-Damn…" She groaned, her body twitching from the stress of Quint's attacks.

"Ejecting the bullet by hand eh? Not a very smart move… You were asking for your gun to be jammed."

For a moment, Quint could have sworn that she saw her one of her opponent's eyes change color. Brushing off the thought, she continued. "Besides, I don't think you are cut out for an automatic. Twisting your elbow from the recoil… That's more of a revolver technique."

The GRU mage's hands balled into fists as a maelstrom of magic wrapped around them. "You filthy… Haimirian DOG!" Hastily getting up, she lunged at Quint. Blocking the hit, Quint charged her own free hand with magic, bashing into Ocelot's ribs. With her opponent stunned, she violently spun the woman to her front, and rammed her into the ground.

Her free hand glowing with magic at Ocelot's face, Quint kept her pistol at the ready. "But that was some pretty fancy shooting… You're pretty good."

The blonde grabbed a hold on her hand, her lungs trying to recover from the bad hits. "P-Pretty g-good…" Exhaustion finally taking over, the woman collapsed.

Quint looked down at the girl. She was still young. Younger that her. Probably only twenty? She knew that at a young age, children had been able to go to war but major at her age?

Sighin, she brushed the thought to the side. Flor ran into the forest and probably got lost. Cupping her face, Quint opened the radio channel again. "Major, do you read me?"

"I'm here. Something the matter Snake?"

"Ahh, I screwed up. Got caught by a few KGB and GRU soldiers but I managed to knock them out. Flor ran into the forest."

The Major seemed about to say something about the mission before he quickly realized what was said, "Wait, wait, wait… GRU soldiers? From who? Intel didn't have anything about this."

"Apparently there are some orders from a Colonel Harlaown. Something about an internal power struggle between the Zaporozhet supporters and Harlaown himself."

"Flor was being guarded by the KBG and hunted by the GRU?" His voice sounded very surprised. Maybe even a bit worried. "Snake, this sounds like it could be even hotter than Juventud."

"My gut is telling me the same thing."

"Are you sure it's not just your stomach?"

"Major, I'm being serious."

"I know, I know. And I agree. Best we hurry. Find Flor and head to the recovery point."

-.-.-

Only a few minutes later did Quint find Flor as he was standing just next to the rope bridge from earlier. He nervously paced back and forth, occasionally looking up. Reaching him, Quint made sure that the coast was clear. "You ok?"

"Those men were from the Ocelot Unit."

"Spetnaz?"

"The best that GRU has to offer!" He panicked. "I'm finished!"

"Calm down." She said stepping in front of his vision. "I promise to get you out of here. I Promise…"

Something boomed in the air as the two looked around. The trees shook and the birds all fell silent. Flor pointed his finger in the distance. "Look!"

Quint turned to see a strange tank looking thing in the distance. Smoke seemed to rise from a stock on it's 'shoulders' and its backend. A combination of tank and some type of mobile missile launcher. Taking out her binoculars, Flor started to speak again.

"There it is… The Fanzabastovka… 'The Phantom Strike'."

"That's what they were making you build?"

"Indeed. A tank that could fire nuclear IRBMs."

"It can fire from that slope?"

"And without support units too."

Quint gripped her binoculars. "A nuclear-equipped tank with an operating solo… Is it finished?"

"No, this is only Phase one." He shook his head. "It would be truly complete until Phase two."

She put her device away. "And that means?"

"The end of the Cold War if Harlaown and his men grab a hold of it."

"The end of the Cold War?" She repeated.

"And then the age of fear will truly begin…" He griped at himself looking away. "I had no choice but to cooperate. I didn't want to die…" Flor turned back to Quint. "Please, take me to Haimiria. They cannot finish it without my help!"

Nodding, the two started to make their way over the bridge. A misty air settled as Quint squinted her eyes. The cascading waters below dropping as something started to approach them. Readying herself Quint hauled and pointed her pistol at the figure. Slowly, its features became clear. Two pigtails with black ribbons holding them up. In its hands were two large heavy looking crates. Her stance… eerily familiar.

It stopped as the air started to clear. Quint's eyes widened in surprise. "Boss?"

True to her words, stood before her was The Boss. Her Barrier Jacket was not the same white that she was used to. Instead of bright white, it was covered in dark green. Looking heavy and stronger than it usually was. As if matching the black ribbons at her head.

"Boss?" She repeated. The brunette responded by dropping one of the crates, as its weight rocked the bridge. Flor leaned over on the vine railings, scared for his life. Dropping the other one, the scientist fell to the ground. Quint however, remained unmoved.

"Good work Quint." She said. Her characteristically content tone, now masked

"What are you even doing here?"

"Flor is coming with me."

Frowning, Quint stepped forward. The skies suddenly darkened as small bugs buzzed around. Turning one second away, a swarm of bugs descended on the both Quint and Flor as they tried to knock them away. "Wh-what? Insekts?"

Flor struggled from getting the bugs out of his sight as he felt something grab on to his waist. He yelled out as that something was pulled up to the skies, Quint only watching what happened.

Somehow a helicopter had made its way to over as she saw a person seemingly 'commanding' the swarms. His face covered by a black mask, the only thing that she saw of distinguishing feature was a dark purple red scarf around his neck. The armor he wore… Completely alien.

With the bugs now gone, she saw who had grabbed a hold of him. A mage with light blue hair some strange skin tight uniform, giving a little way to her waist, shoulders and neck. A playful smirk on her face as she nodded at The Boss.

"My friends," The Boss spoke, "Let us fight together again."

The blue haired one giggled and leaned against the hatch opening. "I've been waiting for this day!"

The strange bug master, grunted in a low growly voice. "We will fight with you once more."

"Now that all five of us are together, it's time we go to the depths of hell itsel-"

Something had cut her off. Looking around, Quint turned to The Boss, a clueless look to her face. It started to rain as streaks of red lightning flashed in the air. For a moment there, Quint thought she saw someone else walking towards the Boss. Its body was translucent, but colors remained.

A woman with ruby red eyes, and black Barrier Jacket. Though she wore a hood, Quint saw some blonde hair poking out.

"Red lightning… Is she crying?" The Boss asked the air turning from side to side in some awe. The mysterious figure gave a simple nod before disappearing. She turned around, as if she was expecting something or someone there.

For a moment, Quint saw the Boss in a moment of weakness. She was looking for something. Whether it was real, or gone in this world… She did not know.

Rain continued to fall as she heard another person approaching. The moisture in the air and in her throat felt like it was burning. What was once the warm jungle gave way to a chilling icy feeling as a man with black uniform walked over. His hair, dark blue. Scars of strange ice white covered his face as sparks of magic and ice flew from his body.

"Minokichi, minokichi…"

Seeing the powerful magic, Quint lowered her body and motioned to The Boss to do the same. But she didn't and stood where she was.

"Huh. What a joyful scene." He spoke, reaching the both of them. His voice was rough, and carried a certain throaty-ness to it.

"Colonel Harlaown…"

"Welcome to my country…" He held his hands out before gripping them in front of himself. "And my unit!"

Quint was… absolutely confused. The events that had just happened made no sense to her whatsoever, even for all the magic that had happened. Plausible but… bizarre.

"B-Boss… What is this?"

She walked closer to her, her hand at her side. "I am defecting to the Soviet Union. Flor is a little gift for my new hosts."

The purple haired mage stood, shocked. Did her ears betray her? Did her mentor, the woman that taught her everything that she knew… Was it ruse? No, it couldn't be; She's seen The Boss's 'serious face' before. And this was one of those things.

Chuckling, Harlaown picked up one of the cases. "Heh. Recoilless nuclear warheads… These will be a fine gift for me."

Thoughts in scramble, Quint's stance dropped. "Th… This can't be happening. Boss…"

"Who's she?" the man frowned. "Another one of your disciples?"

The Boss turned as Harlaown continued to peer at Quint. "No, this one is still pure. A child to us Cobras." She turned back to Quint, confusion and disgust on her face. "She has not yet found an emotion to bring into battle."

She raised her pistol, her free hand glowing with magic. "What are you talking about?!" She demanded.

The Boss continued to walk towards her as Quint shifted backwards. "Think you can pull the trigger?" she smirked. Looking down for a moment, Quint saw The Boss right on top of her as she smacked her back.

Pulling her pistol back up, the weight seemed to be missing. The entire barrel was gone; removed in a single motion. Awe struck, she looked back at the Boss who casually tossed back the bulk of the gun at her.

Seeing that it was useless, the purple haired mage threw the pistol behind her and threw a hook punch. The Boss easily blocked the hit and pushed the young mage behind her while still holding on to her arm. Mana charged around her elbow as she bashed it into her elbow with a sickening crack.

Quint yelled as pain shot up her arm. The hit drained at her Barrier Jacket's defense as it wavered. The bark-like texture gave out as it returned to a solid green color. Panting over, she slouched down on the bridge to Harlaown's own amusement.

"She's seen my face…" He warned putting down the cases. "If Zaporozhet finds out about this, we're finished." The GRU Colonel pulled out four bullet rounds from his underneath his Barrier Jacket. Shutran rimmed rifle rounds, nicknamed 'Stinger rounds'. Mana cracked at his every movement before he brought his hands crossing his chest.

"She must die."

The Boss stepped forward. "Wait. She's my apprentice. I'll take care of her." Satisfied with her answer, Harlaown lowered his hands and watched to see what would happen next.

Slowly, Quint got to her knees. Confused and tired, she looked at the Boss with half-gazed eyes.

"Quint. You can't come with us." Blinking, she saw The Boss extend a hand out. Her face, even with blurred eyes, she caught on something.

She breathed in a moment and reached out to her hand as The Boss pulled her up. Getting to her feet, The Boss yanked hard on her limb before delivering a magically charged blow to her ribs.

Quint coughed out as spit flew from her mouth. The attack barely protected against her Barrier Jacket. Looking over, all she saw was her once beloved mentor glaring. The purple-haired agent threw her hand out… only to see it stuck on the elbow that The Boss broke. Revelation became fear as The Boss clutched at Quint's throat. With incredible strength, she threw her over the bridge as Quint tried one last desperate attack.

Grabbing the black ribbon on the right side of her head, Quint plummeted to the rapids below, screaming. Her voice echoed all the way down booming thrash erupted from the waters.

The bug master Cobra chuckled. "The new blood has been rejected…"

Harlaown huffed as he went back to the crates and started to haul them away.

But in that moment, The Boss lifted one hand and rested it on the creaky railings of the bridge. Her voice low and forlorn.

"Goodbye… Quint."